Suunto 7

@Brad_Olwin you are trying too hard to sell this thing, achieves quite the opposite effect.

Likewise, looks like you are too disappointed Suunto hasn’t delivered S7 exactly per your spec. Well, maybe they noticed Apple Watch and Fitbit Versa are selling in millions and S9 isn’t.

We can argue implementation details and price points, but let’s agree on a basic premise: there are tens of millions of people out there who want a smartwatch with premium materials and design that’s not your utilitarian blank square and who are only moderately active, hitting the road and/or gym every now and then. They don’t have heart rate belts, footpods, or dedicated sports watches. Nor do they care about these. This is a product for them!

Will they pay $499? Time will tell! Most basic current Apple Watch starts at $399, but pick a stainless steel case – and you are looking at $699. Want a 44mm screen? How about $749? And don’t even get me started on titanium or ceramic cases, or premium bands… You’d be blowing past $1500 in no time!

Besides that, cramming in an outdated power hungry SOC, coupled with a power hungry display

They have Qualcomm 3100, which is still current. 3300 is promised, but has it been delivered to anybody? As per the AMOLED display, again. It’s obviously for somebody who wants a sharp bright screen like Apple Watch, and not 100 hours of battery life. To each his own.

Perhaps, before we get all upset at Suunto for not deliverying our personal dream device, we should ask what Suunto is trying to accomplish with this device? And who’s its intended audience? Otherwise, criticizing Suunto for bright screen of S7 because you personally don’t want it is like picking an issue with DM5 excessive waterproofing because you don’t scuba dive.

fejker

@NickK 3100 is 2016 tech based on 28 nm. Clearly not the best time to adopt this SOC as the new SOC is right around the corner.

As for Apple watch, totally different crowd, we are talking Suunto here. And yes, I want this watch to sell good, so Suunto has enough resources to build something better.

@fejker said in Suunto 7:

@NickK 3100 is 2016 tech based on 28 nm. Clearly not the best time to adopt this SOC as the new SOC is right around the corner.

The keyword is around the corner, right? Because it’s not here. Which means if Suunto waited for 3300 to be delivered and then spent a good 6 months+ it usually takes to incorporate a new SoC into a product, you’d see S7 in its current raw form for the holiday season of 2020 at best. More likely in 2021. In the meantime, the company would continue to lose sales in the most profitable segment.

As for Apple watch, totally different crowd, we are talking Suunto here.

The one Suunto that’s fighting for dear life? That Suunto? The one that now competes with $300 ultra watches from COROS and other Chinese copycats? The good thing about Apple Watch is that it’s tied to iOS. And iOS isn’t in majority even in the US and Europe. With Fitbit gone, Suunto may see an opening for a primarily Android-bound smartwatch, with great design and more serious than usual sports chops.

Then next year, when 3300 is out and is baked into WearOS, they will reboot S3 as cheaper $300 and S7 as improved $500 smartwatch-based units.

And yes, I want this watch to sell good, so Suunto has enough resources to build something better.

Then get your wallet out and repeat after me: “I want S7, I deserve S7, I’m so totally buying S7”…

fejker

@NickK nope, currently my SSU still looks better than this stiff piece of plastic and gorilla glass with a metal ring.

@fejker said in Suunto 7:

@NickK nope, currently my SSU still looks better than this stiff piece of plastic and gorilla glass with a metal ring.

Wrong frame of reference me thinks. How does S7 looks compared to Apple Watch? Fitbit Versa? Samsung Active?

fejker

@NickK my answer was to your hypnotising smiley at the end.
In my eyes (Android user here), the Apple watch is heaps better for an iPhone user, and the S7 is quite OK for an average Android user. Fitbit I haven’t tried, Samsung’s offering is also quite good for an average user.
So until Suunto gets their software side of things (including SuuntoApp) up to snuff, the only thing that can possibly save them is aggressive marketing - which right now they are doing quite well.

Shrek3k

The price is really too high, IMHO. Otherwise, in case I would be looking for a true non-Apple Smartwatch with a focus on sports (which I am not!) it would the S7.
I have been surprised by Suunto, and I am little sceptical and hope that (personal) resources are not overstretched, otherwise now I have to admit: a bold move, but a good one!
So: I wish you all the best Suunto, and as soon as all (and some more) of the current Suunto 9 features can be found in a true smartwatch I am going to get it.

MiniForklift

@fejker What do you see as the issues or limitations with the current Suunto app? As of right now I’m a S9B user and I find the app pretty good. I was using a Forerunner 235 a while back and IMHO the Suunto app is better than Garmin’s, it’s easy to read and navigate and for me it has more than enough info to analyse. The only thing I would like to see is the ability to install new updates for the watch through the app, rather than having to plug it into my laptop

fejker

@MiniForklift this is not the topic to discuss the shortcomings of SA. I will just say that Movescount (web) offered more than you can imagine. And I agree, Garmin’s offerings are even poorer.

@fejker said in Suunto 7:

In my eyes (Android user here), the Apple watch is heaps better for an iPhone user, and the S7 is quite OK for an average Android user.

I have both iPhone and Android. Have used Apple Watch on and off since it was introduced until Series 4. Yesterday I got out my dusty Android phone and even dustier LG Watch Sport, just to see how I can handle WearOS smartwatch side of things. Because if it stinks, why buy S7, right?

Apple Watch may be better, but certainly not heaps better. WearOS tiles are cleaner than a similar concept WatchOS abandoned. Notifications are better in the latest WearOS. Interaction is better: you can actually type or flow-type your responses on Android smartwatch instead of doodling them letter by letter. Even Assistant seems to be better if this type of thing lifts your boat. I like variety of designs and form factors on Android side too.

App selection isn’t there, sure! because a) Google really dropped the ball on wrestling hardware out of Qualcomm and providing features and SDK and b) Google never aggressively promoted wearable development. This will change. Google clearly doesn’t want to cede wearables to Apple.

Add stuff that Suunto brings to the table, and in my eyes we have a very interesting device and a potential winner down the road, especially if delivered and priced in tiers.

fejker

@NickK I wholeheartedly hope you are right, BUT Suunto is at a huge test with this platform right now. If they flop again, it will not bode well.
I am certainly not the target crowd for this type of device and most of the people I know also won’t be interested in it, especially not at this price. That said, the next such hybrid device with fixes they bring to the market might - if priced reasonably.
Think about it as SSU launch = S7 launch and S9B = Future Android Wear device launch. Basically we need a steroided S7 with software fixes.

MiniForklift

@fejker I was disappointed that Movescount wasn’t able to be used alongside the app, I agree that it was very good.
So to go back on track, I’d possibly look at getting a S7 maybe later in the year. Any bugs might have been addressed by then, you would think they’d be a few improvements made and the price might have come down a bit. Would be quite nice to have as a secondary, everyday watch

Brad_Olwin

@fejker No, I am not on a new toy high. I would not purchase this as my one watch, my needs are quite different for a single watch. I find the maps and tie in to Suunto Ecosystem useful for me so I would consider this as an everyday watch and an alternative to AW. The watch when delivered works, Suunto is not promising additional functionality. For me, the most critical issue would be getting activity tracking into the Suunto app and I do not know if that will happen or not. Everything else folks are speculating on is speculation. I bought the SSU when it was announced, Suunto delivered on the roadmap they provided for the watch but it took a very long time. The S7 does not have a roadmap, for purchasing one I would not assume that additional functionality will be added.

freeheeler

This post is deleted!

freeheeler

@MiniForklift said in Suunto 7:

I find the app pretty good

I definitely miss total ascent summaries and summaries selectable by sport type icons and date or time span (week, month, year etc) plus a comparison of single months of each year eg: January 2017 to 2018 to 2019 to 2020.
But I found web based tools for this that are very very close to what I want and I think they are useful and the future of how I want to read my data.

Plus FW updates thru SA as you wish, but once the FW is stable and settled this becomes irrelevant.

…fellas, please excuse my offtopic answer here!

…sorry, had to delete the last post as I misclicked the “wrong” quote

Luís Pinto

@Brad_Olwin that is a concerning. S7 is not bringing all features that potential buyers expect. As Spartan family too. Buyers want some type of confidence in product that they will buy. Polar for example, everything that they promise was deliver with Vantage family. This give trust in a investment. We should not forget that market it’s overload of gadgets.

freeheeler

@Luís-Pinto
a customer is positive surprised if he finds a feature that is useful but was not announced very obvious.
On the other hand they are disappointed if they expect something that is not there or takes time to come.

___Alejandro___

@jean-william-cousin Errrr, hold on there sir! I’m tempted by the Suunto 7 and yet, strangely, I don’t feel insulted… Actually, I find fejker’s comments (or “rants and whining” as some of the eager beavers around ‘ere call them) quite refreshing in a ‘much-needed-opposite-polarity’ kind of way, and I think we need that in a forum like this. Helps us stay objective. Oh, wait, you’re not an instagram chick are you!? (I’m just teasing, okay?!)

jw cou

@Alejandro yeah you’re right… I do love this forum because there are very different points of view, facts based discussions. And I’m very happy to read any pros or cons someone has to share and why a watch / app may or may not fit one’s needs.
But sometimes (rarely) it slightly slides into the “I know the absolute truth and you’re dumb if you don’t think like me” aka Facebook/Twitter discussions, and that’s where I get bored! I guess the instagram chick was a bit too much for me, just after taking the risk of investing 500$ into a watch not thoroughly tested yet But nothing agqainst @fejker of course, I do appreciate all the facts these experienced guys are sharing, especially because I am not as experienced in sports / wearables.

sartoric

It will be veeeery interesting to see, in a week or so, some figures about pre-order.